Can I lease my premises to one who sells alcohol?

If I own a shop, and I’m renting it to a non-muslim who sells alcohol, is the rent I get from him classified as Haram?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

The hallmark of a believer is: Love and Hate for Allah. A Muslim should always be desirous of seeing the Law of Allah flourish as far and wide as possible. He should hate everything which Allah has decreed unlawful from the inner recesses of his heart.

Before contracting a tenant, one should be aware of the services the tenant wants to offer in the premises leased to him. A Muslim landlord should try his best not to lease his property for anything which is prohibited and unlawful. We want all the unlawful activities and items to disappear and vanish from the face of this Earth.

However, if a Muslim landlord leased his property to a person who sells alcohol, the lease will be valid and the rental accrued will be halāl and permissible.[1]